01 Prototype 02 Ball Scaling

Goal

Ball speeds up during a streak, creating a natural difficulty curve. The longer you rally, the harder it gets.

Points: 1 Dependencies: HUD Pass (volley tracking) Unlocks: Progression System (upgrade effects interact with speed curve)

Features

1. Streak-based speed increase

Design: Ball gets faster with each hit in a streak. Resets to base speed on miss. The ramp should feel gradual, the player shouldn't notice individual hits getting harder, but after 20+ hits the ball is noticeably fast. Tech: On paddle_hit, increase ball speed by a fixed amount (e.g. +10-20 per hit), clamped to BALL_SPEED_MAX. On ball_missed, reset to BALL_SPEED_MIN.

2. Paddle hit sound

Design: Audio feedback on every paddle hit. Should feel satisfying and not annoying at high frequency. Consider pitch shifting up slightly as the streak builds for subtle tension. Tech: AudioStreamPlayer on the ball or paddle, triggered on paddle_hit.

Test plan

• Ball speed increases visibly over a long streak
• Ball resets to base speed after a miss
• Speed never exceeds BALL_SPEED_MAX
• Hit sound plays on every paddle contact